You have 8 seconds to make a great first impression...make it count!

We all know first impressions are everything. It's the way you walk into a room, the way you smile and make eye contact. Your body language and even the way you dress can make or break your future interaction with a client (sad, but true in some cases).

First impressions are not only important when meeting a new client in person, but it's just as important to those you don't meet. I'm talking about the ones online.

My client was browsing through some listings the other day on my website and I noticed that she only commented on certain ones. "What's wrong with this one or this one?", I asked her, pointing at some that I thought for sure she would want to see.

"Look at the pictures...they're terrible!", she said. "Why even bother with the photos in the first place?"

Good point. I, for one, am an electronic geek, very detailed oriented, and great with Photoshop. So I make sure that my photos are the best they can be. I pay attention to the lighting, any shadows, that things are in focus, that I'm highlighting the best features of the house and more. I even fine tune the color and crop if needed. Then, I show the photos to my client so that we can go over together what photos to share in a listing or in a flyer.

So it never ceases to amaze me how many listings show pictures of a house that was obviously taken out of a car window. Or ones that are out of focus. Or how about the ones that show the master bedroom, with a forgotten pile of clothes in the corner. Or what about my personal favorite...the one of the backyard with the agent's shadow on the ground.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on an expensive camera. Any easy to use camera will do. Take the time to catch the details and learn how to use Photoshop or any similar program. If you were the seller, would you want your realtor to show blurry pictures of your house that you're trying to sell? Just those couple of steps alone can make a difference in moving a listing.

Not only that...It's a win-win for the potential buyer, the seller, and yourself...as the professional, caring Realtor.